ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

Change of vibe?

https://i.imgur.com/0h6C9Pf.jpg
17.(TIE) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
342 points / 13 votes
Video from the album: “Introvert”
Thread of Little Simz

unbelievably this somehow is a welcome change of vibe

inflo tie

Got to run. This is our last one for the day.

Tune in tomorrow for our top 15

https://i.imgur.com/5MFpL6O.jpg
16. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
351 points / 11 votes / 1 #1 vote
Video from the album: “New Bikini”
Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature

sometimes I might be irritated morelike...but if you can ignore the strings, the interludes and most of the lyrics, there's some potentially banging stuff here, mostly 'protect my energy'

today has been Sophistiday

16. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
17.(TIE) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
17.(TIE) Sault - Nine
19. Grouper - Shade
20. Koreless - Agor
21. Tirzah - Colourgrade
22. Dean Blunt - Black Metal 2
23. Men I Trust - Untourable Album
24. Mr Twin Sister - Al Mundo Azul
25. Erika de Casier - Sensational
26. Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future
27. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg
28. CFCF - Memoryland
29.(TIE) Lil Ugly Mane - Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern
29.(TIE) The Armed - Ultrapop
31. Snail Mail - Valentine
32. Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
33. Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki
34. The Bug - Fire
35. Wau Wau Collectif - Yaral Sa Doom
36. The Weather Station - Ignorance
37. Jane Weaver - Flock
38. HTRK - Rhinestones
39.(TIE) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY
39.(TIE) Wild Up - Julius Eastman Vol.1: Femenine
41. Rochelle Jordan - Play With the Changes
42. Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
43. Deafheaven - Infinite Granite
44. Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall - Marfa Tapes
45. Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective - Ngủ Ngày Ngay Ngày Tận Thế
46. Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales
47. aya - im hole
48. Insides - Soft Bonds
49. Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over The Country Club
50. Flock of Dimes - Head of Roses
51. Nite Jewel - No Sun
52. Bicep - Isles
53. Yu Su - Yellow River Blue
54. Joy Orbison - still slipping, vol 1
55. Mogwai - As The Love Continues
56. Loraine James - Reflection
57. Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark
58. Natural Information Society & Evan Parker - descension (Out of Our Constrictions)
59. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble - NOW
60. Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying To Tell You
61. Mach-Hommy - Pray for Haiti
62. Sarah Davachi - Antiphonals
63. Howie Lee - Birdy Island
64. Black Midi - Cavalcade
65. Vijay Iyer Trio - Uneasy
66. Altın Gün - Yol
67. Kabza de Small, DJ Maphorisa & Tresor - Rumble in the Jungle
68. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!
69. Can - Live in Stuttgart 1975
70. Vanishing Twin - Ookii Gekkou
71. Eris Drew - Quivering in Time
72. Emeka Ogboh - Beyond the Yellow Haze
73. Spellling - The Turning Wheel
74. Hayley Williams - Flowers for Vases / Descansos
75. Doja Cat - Planet Her
76. Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God
77. Various Artists ‎ - Heisei No Oto- Japanese Left-Field Pop From The CD Age, 1989-1996

re: number 17. same producer, same point#, same votes.

love people calling music on the ILM Top 77 Albums of 2021 poll "ILM bait" or "ILMcore." like ... no shit?

by definition the #1 album will be the most ILMcore album of the year

Sad that my number one won't place, seems like none of you love blissful deep listening masterpieces.

may I maliciously propose 'ilmcore' be renamed 'ilm landfill'

Judging by the poll results so far, it would be relatively apt.

(That Cassandra Jenkins album is BORING)

ove people calling music on the ILM Top 77 Albums of 2021 poll "ILM bait" or "ILMcore." like ... no shit?

― na (NA), Thursday, February 10, 2022 3:00 PM (five minutes ago)

yo this wasn't a criticism. things just got more recognizably ilm-y for me, jesus christ

no beef intended! it was just amusing! i would use the word "tautology" if i was smarter

I voted for Anne Bourne so you never know Table...

And Cassandra ain't boring, yo!

voted for koreless and dean blunt i think, two amazing records

ah ok NA, sorry, I'm feeling sensitive on ilx today. Obvs it wasn't my most profound observation ever, but I was sort of responding to some of the earlier talk from Tim F and Nabozo about not keeping up with things

never really returned to ultrapop but it did make me listen to only love again

richard dawson is ilm-core

absolutely

also I didn't get into the Mr Twin Sister album but the thread getting bumped prompted me to listen to the first two, which loved, so maybe I'll find my way to this one in 5 years

What if Anne Bourne is 78.

I actually like that one song from the Cassandra Jenkins album, I should give the whole thing another go. It's been a minute.

(# points in ILM EOY poll) /
(# points on 2021 AOTY aggregate list ) =
ILM-Core score

the other Can live album ain't placing huh

lol I have heard OF a whopping three of the albums that placed today, fragmentation is real

Cassandra Jenkins album is entirely lovely (if not entirely lively).

rochelle jordan the discovery of the poll so far for me

17.(TIE) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

can’t bring myself to this on the count of its jomny sun ass album name

yes

first letters of the title spell her name i think, which is why it sounds a bit awkward

Ohhhhhh

eh she still could have said "introverted"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwrGv9gZSNA

I'm assuming Kacey Musgraves is shut out at this point? I enjoyed that one and had it in the lower reaches of my ballot, but I'm not sure it will make it into the top 20 - something of an upset after she placed #2 in 2018.

― aphoristical, Thursday, February 10, 2022 bookmarkflaglink

Probably my biggest let-down of 2021. Was really looking forward to it but in the end, the best parts were merely okay.

love the Grouper record so much

― winters (josh), Thursday, February 10, 2022 bookmarkflaglink

I think I like the new Raum album that came out last week even more

I ordered that Raum album, I remember the first one was very understated but looking forward to this one.

Seven of my 25 have placed so far, and at this point I only expect another 3, possibly 4. Don't think my #1 is gonna make it.

8 out of 20 for me. These are the albums I voted for that have made it... I'm surprised I have more albums placing than past years... I guess I was more in touch with the ILM Hivemind this time.

WAU WAU COLLECTIF | Yaral Sa Doom
MEN I TRUST | Untourable album
ERIKA DE CASIER | Sensational
HTRK | Rhinestones
TIRZAH | Colourgrade
DEAN BLUNT | Black metal 2
KORELESS | Agor
ERIS DREW | Quivering in Time

I've placed 7 so far - I'm expecting another 8 or 9 to make the top 15 though. I've been enjoying the rollout - I like everything on it that I've heard, and am enjoying catching up on things I've missed like Heisei No Oto and Howie Lee.

voted for cassandra jenkins, grouper, koreless, mr twin sister and lil ugly mane.

only thing here i don't think i've heard is the sons of kemet.

do not really get the armed, tirzah and dean blunt much at all. sault & little simz both pretty underwhelming - the little simz album starts off strong but really runs out of steam towards the end. the concept & interludes are all extremely corny unfortunately.

i looooved erika de casier's debut but this one was just decent. melodies didn't quite grab me in the same way.

cfcf album had some nice moments but was just ok overall, didn't manage to recreate the same magic as liquid colours in this different style.

ime you have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy the Tirzah and Dean Blunt albums.

They’re like idk Gaspar Noe or Lars Von Trier films.

I really liked the Koreless Yugen EP in 2013 but didn't keep up with them at all. Hm.

OK, I'm glad I checked this out.

Altin Gun album p good

Hell yeah this rollout is amazing. Koreless was my #2. Erika de Casier was off my ballot and I have regrets about that. Men I Trust was amazing. CFCF was on my ballot, as was Little Simz, who I will be seeing live on my birthday. Can't wait for the top 17

playlist is updated btw

With my votes for Henki, Agor, SIMBI, Nine, Sensational, SoK and depending how many place today, I might be at a record in the top 26 or top 33. Or it might all crumble. I have high hopes that 333, Vulture Prince, Mother, Happier than Ever, Hey What, and Mercurial World will place. I also have hopes for Spiral and Collapsed in Sunbeams, although nothing from them showed up in tracks shockingly. I guess any more jazz is out of the equation, though I didn't vote for 1.8, Promises or Open the Gates and jazz is suddenly very contentious apparently (not that surprising for a genre experiencing a sort of comeback after 40 years), and I don't suppose we will see Haram.